DINNER AND A MOVIE

Thursday

Nov 8, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 9, 2012 at 3:30 PM

I recently found that the movie theater in the next town offers discount tickets one a week. It’s a quiet midweek night, and so there are few people in the theater. All the better, since movies are so expensive these days. Besides, I hate being crowded elbow to elbow with a coughing, sneezing audience smelling loudly of perfume. I like a little space and the smell of fresh, buttered popcorn.

Last week, the audience was larger than normal. A young couple took seats near us just before the opening credits. They were carrying two large plastic bags stuffed with styrofoam cartons of take-out food. They had obviously stopped by two different restaurants. The packaging was different: his dinner was Chinese food and hers was Mexican. About a third of the way through the movie, they headed to the snack bar for dessert.

This was not that odd. One movie night about six months ago, two couples took seats a few rows in front of us. One of the women opened up a tote bag and took out appetizers and poured iced drinks from a thermos. They followed this up with two more courses, then unwrapped what appeared to be homemade chocolate cake for dessert. The meal unfolded slowly throughout the length the film.

Have I missed something here, or should movie theaters provide menus and restaurant service, at least in one small section of the theater. I remember a movie house something like that at Fort Myers Beach, FLA, but then memories of spring break might just be sunburned dreams.

The theater near us does house a restaurant in the lobby, but I’m talking about something beyond microwaved nachos. Wouldn’t it be fun, dinner and a movie, or dinner in a movie theater, or maybe a restaurant that shows movies on a blank wall? Here come the investors!

I recently found that the movie theater in the next town offers discount tickets one a week. It’s a quiet midweek night, and so there are few people in the theater. All the better, since movies are so expensive these days. Besides, I hate being crowded elbow to elbow with a coughing, sneezing audience smelling loudly of perfume. I like a little space and the smell of fresh, buttered popcorn.

Last week, the audience was larger than normal. A young couple took seats near us just before the opening credits. They were carrying two large plastic bags stuffed with styrofoam cartons of take-out food. They had obviously stopped by two different restaurants. The packaging was different: his dinner was Chinese food and hers was Mexican. About a third of the way through the movie, they headed to the snack bar for dessert.

This was not that odd. One movie night about six months ago, two couples took seats a few rows in front of us. One of the women opened up a tote bag and took out appetizers and poured iced drinks from a thermos. They followed this up with two more courses, then unwrapped what appeared to be homemade chocolate cake for dessert. The meal unfolded slowly throughout the length the film.

Have I missed something here, or should movie theaters provide menus and restaurant service, at least in one small section of the theater. I remember a movie house something like that at Fort Myers Beach, FLA, but then memories of spring break might just be sunburned dreams.

The theater near us does house a restaurant in the lobby, but I’m talking about something beyond microwaved nachos. Wouldn’t it be fun, dinner and a movie, or dinner in a movie theater, or maybe a restaurant that shows movies on a blank wall? Here come the investors!